Wellington Dukes owner Ken Clement has lost between $400-500,000 every year he’s owned the Ontario Junior Hockey League club. This season was no different.

As the 2024-25 campaign came to a close, several sources told the Gazette they were worried. Billets had not been paid the $600 per player, per month they were promised.

They said the Wellington Dukes Booster Club loaned the Dukes money for a $30,000 ice bill last fall and January billet bills totalling $11,000. The Boosters raise money throughout the season for the benefit of the players, many of whom are living away from home for the first time. 

But municipal sources are increasingly worried that The Dukes cannot afford their ice. They said bills routinely go unpaid for extended periods of time. At one point last year, the Dukes were over $65,000 behind in ice rental charges.

Wellington Dukes head coach Kent Lewis was the only coach on the bench to start the postseason. Sources say the balance of the coaching staff was not compensated past a certain point in the season. At least one former coach has contacted legal representation to recoup what’s owing on their contract.

“Well, it’s no different than the last 4-5 years,” Mr. Clement said of Wellington’s current financial position after their sweep at the hands of the Stouffville Spirit in the opening round of the 2025 Buckland Cup playoffs.

According to Mr. Clement, he has lost $3.5 million operating the OJHL hockey club. But he is not interested in selling the team. And he’s committed to keeping the Dukes in Wellington.

But he admits things are going to have to change for his vision to remain the reality.

He says he put a deal together to bring all his bills current in January, but the plan went “sideways.” Mr. Clement is the Chairman, CEO, and Founder of Kensana Health, a biotech company that is on the leading edge of phytopharmaceuticals.

He said another deal is in the works and that all outstanding fees and bills would be addressed in May.

What about the billets?

That’s great news for Wellington’s billet parents, some of whom haven’t been paid since January. At the club’s final home game, one billeter said that while they didn’t sign up to take on a visiting player to “get rich” — feeding and housing a teenager costs more than the monthly stipend — the funding is important to help make the ends meet. Most Wellington Dukes billets were “incredibly disappointed” with the 2024-25 season. Late and missed payments, along with the lack of meaningful communication or acknowledgement from team management, have left them reluctant to host players going forward.

“It cannot be expressed enough that when a hockey player comes into your home, they become a part of your family. Billets treat Dukes as one of their own and their families become close friends as well. This is a great benefit to both the player and the host,” one parent said. “We recognize for the Dukes that billets are of great importance to ensure they can recruit and acquire the best talent possible to compete in the highly competitive OJHL.

“But for this to continue, this organization needs to rectify the broken relationships with the players, their families, and the billet homes, and assure this community that there is a plan in place to prevent this from happening again going forward,” they said.

The billets raised their concerns with OJHL Commissioner Marty Savoy in January. Despite promises of remuneration and greater oversight, the billets are still owed money. Mr. Savoy did not respond to the Gazette’s request for comment in April. 

Player Fees

A new plan might include charging player fees. Other teams charge anywhere from $3000-$10,000 per player to offset the costs of travel, equipment, and billet fees every season.

But the Dukes, like the other well-heeled flagship clubs in the OJHL, cover those fees in order to gain a competitive recruiting edge.

“The model we’ve been using is absolutely not sustainable in Prince Edward County,” Mr. Clement said. “There is another model we are looking at that would eat up the losses, but it would mean a team the fans aren’t used to seeing. We might not be getting the same calibre of players and we might not have the same competitiveness that fans have grown accustomed to over the years.”

Mr. Clement is in talks with the OHL to set up an affiliate agreement with a Major Junior team in the OHL. The team would send blue chip prospects to the Wellington Dukes for development in advance of a career in the world’s top junior league. He also plans to approach the County later this spring to discuss how the municipality and the Dukes might forge a better partnership. 

“Every year, people have approached me about buying the Dukes, but none of them want to keep the team in Wellington,” Mr. Clement said. “We want to attract younger fans and families. We’re hoping the houses start going up across the street from the arena and we can add to our amazing fan base.”  

Councillor Bill Roberts is a fixture at Dukes’ games. As a Dukes fan, a County resident, and a municipal Councillor attentive to local economic development, he notes it would be hard to exaggerate the importance of a competitive OJHL franchise in Wellington. 

Mr. Roberts was not a source regarding the organization’s inability to stay current with its ice bills.

“It’s good to know that the Boosters, Dukes billet families and ownership are working through a re-set, and it will be interesting to see what’s presented to Shire Hall as potential next steps. But it’s essential that whatever ‘Dukes deal’ is considered, it makes good and sustainable business sense for all concerned.”